Notes & Coffee: February 5 - 11

Published on February 11, 2018
By Maya Ward-Fineman, Marketing Specialist

Notes & Coffee is here to keep you informed of all the trending student affairs and higher ed news stories most critical to our field as they develop. In the age of information overload, we’re here to bring you vetted examinations of the stories that matter to our field. We invite you to brew a favorite morning beverage, kick back, relax, and catch yourself up for the week ahead with Notes & Coffee.

Budget deal would add money, but not restore DACA – “Senate leaders on Wednesday looked poised to reach an agreement on a two-year budget deal that would lift spending caps put in place at federal agencies by Congress in 2011. The lifting of those caps has long been sought by higher ed institutions who say they threaten sustainable funding of research… The passage of the plan is not guaranteed -- House leaders will have to corral support after it passes the Senate -- but higher ed groups appeared to breathe a sigh of relief that the government would avoid another budget showdown, even as some expressed frustration over DACA.”

Higher ed finds its voice on PROSPER Act – “With their attention occupied by tax reform last year, the higher education lobby had a muted response to the GOP's first crack at overhauling the student aid system and how it keeps colleges accountable. That’s begun to change over the last month as major higher ed associations have issued forceful criticisms of the PROSPER Act, as Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have labeled their update to the Higher Education Act, while also alerting member institutions about perceived serious problems with the bill.”

The impact of parents’ education levels – “A study of first-generation college students published today by the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics shows that children of college-educated parents are much more likely to pursue and complete an undergraduate degree than are young people whose parents did not attend college. However, the gap closed significantly upon completion of a bachelor's degree, and the two groups' employment status, salary amounts and rates of enrollment in a master's degree were nearly the same.”

Liberal indoctrination? Not so much – “Numerous studies over the years have documented that professors, on average, lean left. And their political inclinations toward liberalism exceed those of the American public. But what hasn't been documented (aside from periodic anecdotes) is a claim made by many on the right: that liberal professors indoctrinate or intimidate students to share their beliefs. New research suggests that college is a time when students gain appreciation of multiple perspectives.”

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